News365 Times Chairman ; Mohan Shukla says India’s defence innovation or transformation is not just a military story—it is the foundation of a new Industrial renaissance.
Garuda Aerospace CEO & founder Agnishwar Jayaprakash sees Indian startups emerging as strategic enablers of national security.
For decades, India’s defence preparedness was measured by the strength of its armed forces. Today, a new metric is emerging—the strength of its innovation ecosystem.
The Government of India’s recently released “The Defence Decade” report showcases India’s remarkable transformation from one of the world’s largest defence importers into a rapidly emerging defence manufacturing and technology powerhouse.
Yet behind the impressive figures of rising defence budgets, record indigenous production, and growing exports lies another revolution—one being led by India’s startups.
The Startup Soldiers of Atmanirbhar Bharat
A decade ago, defence manufacturing in India was largely confined to government laboratories and public sector enterprises.
Today, a new generation of entrepreneurs is building drones, artificial intelligence platforms, autonomous systems, surveillance technologies, battlefield software, robotics, cybersecurity solutions, electronic warfare systems, and advanced aerospace technologies.
Startups such as Garuda Aerospace, IdeaForge, NewSpace Research, Optimized Electrotech, Raphe mPhibr, Big Bang Boom Solutions, Tonbo Imaging and several others are becoming critical contributors to India’s national security architecture.
These companies represent a new India—young, ambitious, technologically confident and globally competitive.
Drones: The New Frontier of Warfare
Recent conflicts around the world have demonstrated that the future battlefield will be shaped as much by autonomous systems and drones as by conventional military platforms. India has recognised this shift.
The country’s drone ecosystem has expanded rapidly following policy reforms, Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, liberalised drone regulations, and focused support from the Government of India.
Among the leading players in this transformation is Garuda Aerospace, which has evolved from an agricultural drone company into a diversified drone technology enterprise serving agriculture, industry, homeland security, and defence applications. The company has developed military-grade UAV capabilities, drone pilot training ecosystems, indigenous manufacturing facilities, and drone solutions for surveillance, logistics, mining, critical infrastructure, and border security.
Agnishwar Jayaprakash: Defence is India’s Next Technology Revolution
Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO of Garuda Aerospace, represents a new generation of Indian technology entrepreneurs who view defence not merely as a business opportunity but as a strategic national mission. According to the company presentation, Garuda has positioned itself to leverage drone technology across defence, industrial and agricultural applications while expanding indigenous manufacturing capabilities.
Reflecting on India’s emerging defence ecosystem, Agnishwar Jayaprakash believes that:
“India’s defence transformation is creating one of the largest technology opportunities in the country’s history. The future will belong to nations that can design, manufacture and deploy their own critical technologies. Indian startups are no longer just participants in this journey; they are becoming strategic enablers of national security.”
He further emphasizes that drones, AI-enabled autonomous systems, surveillance platforms, and indigenous manufacturing ecosystems will define the next phase of India’s defence growth.
Garuda Aerospace itself has significantly expanded its manufacturing footprint, strengthened partnerships with major defence and aerospace institutions, and accelerated development of indigenous drone technologies aimed at defence and security applications.
Mohan Shukla’s Perspective
News365 Times Chairman Mohan Shukla believes the Defence Decade should be viewed as an industrial renaissance rather than merely a military achievement.
“For the first time since Independence, India is witnessing the convergence of defence, manufacturing, technology, innovation, startups, academia and strategic policy into a single national mission.”
According to Mr. Shukla:
“The Defence Decade is creating an ecosystem where a young engineer in Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad or Pune can design a technology that directly contributes to India’s national security. This democratization of innovation is perhaps the most important achievement of the Atmanirbhar Bharat movement.”
He further notes that every indigenous drone, radar, missile, electronic warfare system, communication platform, and defence software solution creates demand across multiple industries including mining, metals, electronics, semiconductors, advanced materials, artificial intelligence and manufacturing.
Beyond Defence: Building an Innovation Economy
The significance of India’s defence transformation extends beyond military preparedness.
It is creating:
• High-value manufacturing jobs
• Advanced research ecosystems
• Global export opportunities
• Technology transfer platforms
• Deep-tech startup ecosystems
• Strategic industrial capabilities
Most importantly, it is fostering confidence that India can build world-class technologies within its own borders.
The Road Ahead
As India moves toward its vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047, defence innovation will increasingly be driven not only by government institutions but also by entrepreneurs, startups, MSMEs and private industry.
The rise of Indian defence startups signals a fundamental shift.
India is no longer content with importing technology.
India is beginning to invent it.
India is beginning to export it.
And India is beginning to shape the future of global defence innovation.
The Defence Decade has demonstrated that self-reliance is not merely a slogan—it is becoming a national capability.
And at the heart of that capability stands a new generation of Indian innovators determined to build technologies worthy of a rising global power.
